※The original Japanese text of this article was written without using AI. The English translation was created with the help of AI. (The images were generated with AI.)
A brief word before we begin
To the arrangers, lyricists, and other creators I usually work with:
Please rest assured—this article is not about you.
Thank you for always working with me.
I look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Hello everyone, this is Ryu from Phydrosamir.
I’ve been a composer for many years, and there’s something I want to say very clearly here.
“Don’t write songs just to please the crowd.”
This is my message to composers, lyricists, and all creators.
“Why do you compose music?”
I want you to ask yourself that question again.
Most likely, the answer is:
“To express myself.”
Yes—for many composers, composing music is fundamentally an act of self-expression.
Which means that trying to write songs only to be popular
is essentially the same as bending your own soul.
What kind of music style is trending right now
What kind of song people will dance to on TikTok
Making songs designed to go viral
Something more upbeat and dopamine-inducing
…What nonsense!!!!!!!!!
Is your soul really so small that it simply rides along with whatever trend society throws at it!?!?
Composition is something into which you pour your own soul.
What society wants, what trends say—none of that matters.
You must not twist your soul just to write a “popular” song.
That is nothing less than selling your soul.
Value yourself. Protect your soul.
“Maybe, if things go well, I’d like to make a living from music.”
This is probably a challenge many composers and creators face.
Of course, if you can earn more than 200,000 yen a month,
(or even better, 1,000,000 yen a month),
that is wonderful and something to be truly happy about.
But in reality, the number of composers who make more than 200,000 yen a month is small.
So here is the approach I would suggest:
Temporarily separate “making money” from “expressing yourself.”
If you look carefully, there are actually quite a few ways to earn money with relatively low stress.
The key is honest self-analysis.
Find something outside of music where:
you are good at it
it causes you less stress than it would for others
and it can reasonably earn money
There are surprisingly many such jobs in this world.
I don’t personally do this (and I don’t have the qualification),
but becoming a second-class electrician is actually a pretty good option.
The important point is this:
“You feel less stress than most people doing that work.”
There must be something where:
“Most people would find this job extremely stressful, but for me it’s actually fine.”
You probably have something like that.
Do that.
And then continue writing the music of your soul.
Keep creating.
Keep releasing it.
Distribute your songs through TuneCore Japan or DISTRO MUSICA.
Build your catalog step by step.
Release music videos on YouTube.
Even lyric videos are fine.
You can also pay someone to create an MV.
In any case—
Keep engraving your music, your soul, into this world.
That is what we truly want to do.
You don’t need to go viral on TikTok.
You don’t need people to dance to your song.
Take the scream of your soul and throw it into this world through your music.
Don’t write songs just to please the crowd.
2026.03.14
Ryu
All of my actions are for one purpose:
To have people listen to Phydrosamir’s original songs.
So please—listen to my music!
→ Phydrosamir Official YouTube Artist Channel
My soul-driven album
“Nagare Musou”
coming soon.
